


Reminded

by Kilithedwarf



Category: Voltron: Legendary Defender
Genre: Angst, Angst with a Happy Ending, Background Hunk/Shay, Female Pronouns for Pidge | Katie Holt, Future Fic, Hurt/Comfort, Langst, M/M, There is very little dialogue, background shiro/allura - Freeform
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2017-09-09
Updated: 2017-09-09
Packaged: 2018-12-25 14:11:22
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 3,438
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/12037548
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Kilithedwarf/pseuds/Kilithedwarf
Summary: The war was finished. It was over. Done. No more. There was no one left. Lotor, Haggar, Zarkon; gone. Dead. It had been years but every time Lance took off his shirt and saw all those dark coloured scars, he was reminded. He was reminded that the universe was safe but at the cost of billions of lives. He was reminded that Earth, his home, his fellow Paladins’ home, was gone.





	Reminded

**Author's Note:**

> This is kinda really sad? Like it gets happy at the ending but jfc

The war was finished. It was over. Done. No more. There was no one left. Lotor, Haggar, Zarkon; gone. Dead. It had been years but every time Lance took off his shirt and saw all those dark coloured scars, he was reminded. He was reminded that the universe was safe but at the cost of billions of lives. He was reminded that Earth, his home, his fellow Paladins’ home, was gone. 

 

The hurt was now a small ache in his heart. It was a single tear that fell from his eyes and wiped away by his fingers. It reminded him that despite what he lost, he still genuinely had other things to live for. 

 

The day the Galra were finally defeated wasn’t a day of celebration. It was the day Hunk and Lance embraced each other and mourned the loss of their Families. It was the day Pidge clung to Matt’s side as they both said silent goodbyes to their mother. It was the day Coran ran his fingers through Allura’s hair as she was reminded too of what she had lost during the last war. Keith and Shiro had stood off to the side, fortunate enough to have been orphaned long ago but unfortunate enough to see their new family being destroyed from what they had lost. 

 

Lance wanted to run, so he did. He took blue and flew away. He flew and flew until his bodied cried out for food and water. He landed on a planet filled with water and sand. He used to miss the beach; the cool water soothing his burning skin, the coarse sand massaging his aching feet. But here, all he felt was pain. Every place he looked he was reminded of his family. He could see his mother’s warm and comforting smile, feel her arms wrapped around him. So he ran.

 

He flew away with blue who now had some food and water stored away inside of her. So he flew and flew until blue cried out for rest. While they could never understand fully how the Lions worked, they knew they had a life force. A life force that could be hurt and healed, rested and drained. Lance couldn’t help but feel selfish. He landed on a planet filled with volcanos and lava. He never realized how much he missed Keith. Of course, Lance thought about Hunk and Pidge like no tomorrow. He even kept a picture of the three of him on his dash. 

 

But this hot planet reminded him of hot-headed Keith. It reminded him of the soft smiles he occasionally saw when he snuck a look at the violet-eyed boy. It reminded him of covering Keith’s mouth to stifle laughter with his hand while they went on adventures through the castle when neither boy could sleep. It reminded him that the hole in his heart wasn’t just from the loss of his family but the loss of his friends too. So he ran. 

 

He flew away with blue who was now given adequate rest. So he flew and flew until his heart cried out for a home. He landed on a planet quite similar to earth. It had cities that never slept and towns that always seemed to be asleep. There were beaches and mountains, flatlands tundras. The only difference is that there weren't any humans. It was filled with more species than Lance had ever seen while defending the universe. He decided he would no longer run. 

 

While the beaches and volcanoes made his heart hurt from the hole loss had made, if Lance stayed away from both, he could manage.He didn’t know how to start a life, let alone a completely new one on a planet he couldn’t even name, but, he managed. While 22 was young, he had enough life experience to be able to last him many lives over. 

 

* * *

He found a place to live and a job to work; all normal things he would do if he were back home. In the end, that’s what he was trying to do; be normal. He knew he would never find a home being alone. And even when he was no longer alone and managed to make friends with an eccentric green-skinned four-eyed alien girl and a lovable yellow-haired giant, he still felt alone. 

 

Some days he would drive to the mountains where he let blue live out her days. He wanted to keep her but was scared thieves would try to take her away and sell her for parts so he brought her here. 

 

Most of the time she stayed silent, laying in the grass as if she really were a sleeping cat. On those days, Lance would lay beside her and rest too. But on other days, she would be awake and open her mouth to let him in. On those days, Lance would cry. He would sit in the weathered seat and stare at his friends and cry. Those are the days Lance would want to run. He never would though. He would end up back in his car, driving back to his non-existent home. 

 

Sometimes late at night, Lance would close his eyes and dream about the others. He would dream about Hunk returning to the Balmera and finding Shay. He dreams of their possible wedding and maybe even weird hybrid children. He would dream of Pidge traveling from planet to planet, filling her head with endless knowledge and learning every possible thing she could; having Shiro and Matt by her side. He would dream of Allura and Coran rebuilding a home with the Alteans that had been held captive by the Galra for so long. 

 

He would never dream of Keith though. He wanted to, so bad that sometimes it felt like he was going to explode, but, he knew that was a dangerous road. So no, he never dreamed of Keith flying from planet to planet in red. He never dreamed of Keith, trying to complete one last mission. He never dreamed of Keith landing on this planet and running towards him, hugging Lance as if his life depended on it. That would hurt Lance way too much. 

 

* * *

Lance tried the whole “one-night stand” thing, but it just made him feel empty. He knew that every person he brought home was intended to fill that hole in his heart, even for a slight moment, but he was always disappointed and left crying in the shower the next day after the person snuck out. Eventually, he just stopped. 

 

* * *

He blew out the two candles shaped as a two and four on his birthday cake; a tradition he shared with his new friends in his new life. The years here worked similarly to Earth’s so Lance had chosen a day he figured he would around his actual birth on earth to celebrate.

 

Lance looked at his friends while they ate they cake he had made. His group was no longer just a green-skinned girl, and a yellow-haired giant, but also a bald genderless creature with black and white polka-dot skin, a red-haired man with red tentacles that acted like hair on his head and chin, and a white droid that Lance had nicknamed “C3po”. He couldn’t help but realize how these people reminded him of his old friends. He wanted to run. 

 

So there Lance was, driving to the mountains to fly away with Blue. But when he got there, she wouldn’t open up. She wasn’t laying down but she still refused to let Lance on. At first, he broke down, figuring their bond was no longer there. His heart once again shattered at the fact that the one thing that existed from his past life no longer wanted him. He begged her to open up, pleading with her in every way he could, but, she never did. 

 

Once his throat grew hoarse and his eyes stung, Lance picked himself up off the ground and drove back home. He knew he wasn’t gone for more than a few hours but he felt like he had been gone for centuries. He crawled into bed and dreamed of his old friends some more. This time he let himself imagine a mop of black hair, pale skin, and fierce violet eyes. 

 

* * *

One night, Lance had been woken up by banging on his door. He didn’t know how to react. He dragged himself out of his cozy bed, turned on all the lights in his house and opened the front door. He was met with violet eyes that had only existed in his dreams for so long. Arms were thrown around his neck. 

 

It didn’t take long for Lance to react and hold his old friend back. It didn’t take long for Lance to feel the wetness on his shoulder or the wetness on his own face. He never wanted to let go. Then he remembered those tears he felt were for him, and for the pain, he had caused him. He pushed Keith back. 

 

“No.” Was all Lance could manage to say; even then it came out as barely a whisper. 

 

“Why not?” Keith asked, reaching out for Lance once again. 

 

Lance backed away, crossing his arms out in front of him. 

 

He couldn’t meet Keith’s eyes, but he could imagine how he looked. He could imagine the sadness, confusion, and pain. He knew he was hurting him all over again. 

 

“You should hate me,” Lance said. 

 

“Why?”

 

Lance finally looked up at Keith and grew angry at what he saw. He didn’t see the pain he had caused, no. He saw genuine concern. He was angry that after what he did, Keith didn’t hate him.

 

“I hurt you!” Lance shouted. “I deserve for you to hate me!”

 

Keith once again tried to reach for Lance but he flinched away. 

 

“No! I don’t understand!” Lance continued to scream. 

 

“What don’t you get?” Keith asked, surprisingly calm. 

 

“I hurt you! I left all of you! We all lost the same thing but I just ran. How could you forgive me?” 

 

Lance’s voice went from yelling to a defeated cry. When Keith reached out for him this time, Lance practically curled into the embrace. Lance slowly fell to the ground; Keith going with him. 

 

That night, Lance sobbed into his old friend's arms as Keith laid his head on Lance’s shoulder. 

 

The last thing Lance heard before falling asleep was, “We all forgave you, I forgave you.”

 

* * *

Lance had expected Keith to try to convince him to come with him, to go back with the others but Keith never did. Instead, Keith asked if he could stay. Lance would have never said no. 

Even though years had gone by, Keith still managed to look almost the same. Except, to Lance’s disappointment, he had cut off his mullet. 

 

Don’t get Lance wrong, this cut flattered Keith well. Almost too well but he missed the mullet. It reminded him of teasing Keith at the castle. Especially the time when he told Keith his mullet was never going to impress the ladies and Keith accidentally blurted out that it wasn’t the ladies he was trying to impress. 

 

Keith had a hard time fitting into Lance’s life. He was still a loner who awkwardly sat in the corner while Lance had his friends over. He tried though. He had found a job, mimicking Lance’s idea of trying to obtain normalcy. Lance expected him to find a house of his own, but Keith slept on Lance’s couch night after night. 

 

He stayed there until Lance invited him to sleep in his room one night. At first, Lance asked because he felt bad that Keith had to sleep on his couch. It wasn’t very comfy and Lance’s bed was big enough for four people. But when he saw the blush on Keith’s cheeks, he couldn’t help but tease the poor boy.

 

He waggled his eyebrows and winked when Keith muttered a quick no. The blush just turned a deeper red. 

 

“What, you don’t wanna spend the night with Lancey Lance?” he teased.

 

Keith had looked away, trying to cover up his very obvious blush but Lance instinctively grabbed his chin; gently turning Keith’s head to face his own. He realized what he had down and pulled his hand back to his side, prepared to say sorry. 

 

“Look, buddy, I’m just teas-“

 

“I’m in love you with.” Keith blurted, cutting Lance off. 

 

Lance’s jaw opened in almost a comical way, reminding Keith very much of when they were both teenagers. He smiled at that thought. 

 

Lance had been taken by surprise. Of course, he loved this boy back. He had for years. He had tried to let those feelings fade and eventually they did become a dull ache in a small part of his heart, but when Keith had knocked on his door that night, the dull ache became a constant punch to the heart. 

 

“Look, you don’t have to love me back but-“

 

“Of course I love you back,” Lance said. 

 

The small smile on Keith’s face grew and turned into one of the smiles Lance had rarely seen. It reached his eyes. Lance couldn’t help but smile back. 

 

Keith eventually did end up in Lance’s bed that night. 

 

* * *

As they laid in bed that night; Keith with his head on Lance’s bare chest and Lance running his fingers through Keith’s soft hair, Lance finally asked how Keith managed to find him. 

 

Keith had told him the story how after Lance had left, it broke the team's heart. Not because they were mad at what he did but because they wanted to be there for him. Eventually, though, they had no other choice but to move on. Lance couldn’t help but smile when he told him Hunk did go back to find Shay or gasp when he found out Shiro and Allura had married and were expecting a baby. He felt proud and satisfied when Keith got to the part where he said Pidge was helping to rebuild a Galran-Altean civilization along with Matt who was more than happy to be his little sister’s side-kick. 

 

When Keith finally talked about what he had done, Lance felt knots in his stomach. Keith told him for a while he hung around Shiro, Allura and Coran, attempting to help with diplomatic things which he wasn’t very good at. Eventually, he had sought out Pidge and Matt to see if he could help them in any way, but his skills pretty much included everything unnecessary to help build a completely peaceful society. Afterwards, he moved on to Hunk, hoping to find a place with him, but like the others, he just didn’t fit in. 

 

It wasn’t until a year ago that Keith finally followed his heart and went after what he really wanted. So he got into red and flew. He flew and flew, hoping he was going into the right direction and cried tears of joy when he landed on a beach planet with civilians who told him stories of a lion just like his, but blue had come years prior. 

 

So Keith continued in that same direction and eventually landed on a planet with volcanoes and lava. It had been long abandoned from what Keith figured had been a deadly eruption but cried of joy when he saw faded yet distinctive drawings of a blue lion on large rocks, 

 

So Keith continued in that same direction, and eventually, he picked up the signal of the blue lion. So he flew and flew, and landed on this planet. He landed on a peak of a mountain and flew down to where he saw blue in all her glory. Keith had waited there for days, hoping that Lance would come back but when he realized he would have to go and find him himself, he begged blue that if Lance ever came back, she wouldn’t let him leave. 

 

Lance realized that blue didn’t abandon him after all. 

 

* * *

He blew out the two candles shaped as a two and a six on his birthday cake. This tradition had caught on and many of his friends began doing it too. He thought it would be cool if he started a trend that caught on to a whole planet. 

 

As Lance sat back and watched his friends, he realized how much he missed his old ones. He tried not to always have them on his mind for selfish reasons. But occasionally they would creep up in his thoughts. 

 

He thought about them whenever Keith and he would go to a restaurant that served mediocre food and Lance would tell Keith how he knew Hunk could make this much better. 

 

He thought about them whenever he saw a cool piece of tech and would giggle from picturing Pidge jumping all over it; trying to take it apart and understand it. 

 

He thought about them when Keith walked down the aisle and thought how honoured Shiro would’ve been to give his surrogate brother away. 

 

He thought about them whenever he used a cheesy pickup line on his now husband and could practically feel Allura rolling her eyes from across the universe. 

 

He thought about all of them now, as he looked at his friends and at Keith and realized he still wasn’t fully at home. So he ran. 

 

This time though, he had Keith, the love of his life, at his side. He even managed to say goodbye to his friends, promising he would be back one day. 

 

* * *

Keith and Lance got in their lions and they flew and they flew. They flew until they reached a planet with volcanoes and lava. Lance remembered how this hot place reminded him of his hot headed Keith. How he no longer had to sneak glances to see that soft smile or how he stifled Keith’s laughs with cheeky kisses instead of his hand. They didn’t stay long before they flew away. 

 

They flew and they flew until they reached a planet with water and sand. Lance remembered how this hot place reminded him of his mother, with her warm and comforting smiles. He could still practically feel her arms wrapped around him. This time though, when he cried, Keith was there to hold him. They didn’t stay long before they flew away. 

 

They flew and they flew until they saw a familiar white castle. The doors opened up for them as if they had been expected to arrive. 

 

After they left their lions, they were greeted by the original gang and some new members. Shortly after hugs had been exchanged and tears had been shed, Shiro and Allura introduced them to their two kids. 

 

Two little girls; one with black hair and one with white. They were beautiful just like their parents. 

 

Hunk and Shay had adopted a child of their own; a little creature with pink skin and green eyes. 

 

Lance and Keith couldn’t help but start to cry again when these three beautiful children excitedly called both of them uncle and shouted how excited they were to finally meet them. 

 

Pidge arrived hours later, with Matt and his wife trotting behind her. She punched Lance and Keith in the arm, before pulling in both for a hug. Lance noticed she had grown her hair out. 

 

Marriage nor kids were currently in Pidge’s plans but the girl was growing bored after having nothing left for her to rebuild. She admitted to Lance that she was fond of watching Shiro and Allura’s kids. 

 

As they all sat at the familiar kitchen table, sharing stories and tales, Coran brought a familiar green goo to the table. There was a mix of groans and laughter as everyone dug in.

 

Lance sat back and watched his old friends. He saw how each other them had aged and changed. For once, he didn’t feel like running; so he didn't. He stayed. 

He stayed after him and Keith decided to settle on the planet Pidge, Matt, Shiro, Allura and Coran helped build. He stayed after they adopted their first child, and second child and even third. He stayed and he stayed until his and Keith’s kids were off building lives of their own. Only then did he want to run. So he did. He got into Blue, with Keith at his side and they flew and they flew. They flew past the planet with water and sand. They flew past the planet with volcanoes and lava. They flew until they got to their old home. Lance visited his old friends who were more than glad to see him. They didn’t stay long before they flew away. 


End file.
